Magic Cookie Bars (2024)

Known by different names like 7-layer bars and Hello Dolly bars, magic cookie bars are an indulgent, no-fuss sweet treat made with simple ingredients that will please a small crowd. You can whip up a batch in well under an hour. In fact, the toughest part is waiting for them to cool so you can dig in! The “magic” in these bars is that all you have to do is layer the ingredients together in a pan, and like magic, they bake into gooey cookie bars in the oven.

Sweetened condensed milk might seem like an unexpected addition, but it is a key ingredient for decadent cookie bars that won’t fall apart. It flows around and between the ingredients, helping bind them together. Even better, magic bars are also freezer-friendly, so you can stash a batch to offer unexpected guests or just when a craving strikes. If you’re in the mood for more dessert bar recipes, try my chocolate chip cookie bars, lemon bars recipe, or peanut butter bars recipe.

What You Need to Make this Recipe

Graham cracker crumbs — you can certainly blitz whole Graham crackers in your food processor until they have a sand-like texture, but I like to save a bit of prep (and washing up!) time by using store-bought crumbs.

Pecans — chopped pecans add crunch and flavor to each 7 layer bar.

Butter — melt the butter in the microwave (I recommend covering it with paper towels or a microwave cover to prevent splashes all over your microwave) and mix it with the Graham cracker crumbs for the perfect rich crust.

Chocolate chips — I use semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you can use bittersweet chocolate chips instead for less sweetness. See below for loads of magic cookie bar variations.

Butterscotch chips — butterscotch has a wonderful brown sugar and butter flavor. If you need a substitute, try peanut butter chips, caramel chips, or toffee bits, all of which complement the chocolate nicely.

Shredded coconut — use sweetened flaked coconut, as unsweetened is a lot drier.

Sweetened condensed milk — don’t use evaporated milk! The two come in very similar cans, but condensed milk is thick and sweet, while evaporated milk is a lot runnier (similar in consistency to half-and-half) with a barely-there sweetness. It will not work in this recipe.

Flaky sea salt — while optional, I highly recommend a sprinkle of sea salt to complement all the sweetness going on in these Hello Dollies.

How to Make Magic Cookie Bars

1. To make the rich Graham cracker crust, combine the crumbs and melted butter in a large bowl. Stir until the mixture is moist.

2. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper or lightly grease with baking spray. Drop the graham cracker mixture into the prepared dish and press it down into the bottom of the pan with the bottom of a measuring cup or glass.

3. Scatter the semisweet chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in an even layer over the crust.

4. Then, liberally sprinkle the shredded coconut over that.

5. The next layer is the chopped pecans.

6. Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk as the last layer over the top. Bake the magic bars in an oven preheated to 350°F for approximately 30 minutes or until the edges and coconut flakes turn golden brown. Once baked, sprinkle flaky sea salt over the top of the hot magic cookie bars. Allow to cool completely in the pan before cutting into bars or squares.

Pro Tips for Making this Recipe

• Line or grease the baking dish. Trust me: You do not want to deal with the mess of an unlined pan! I typically use parchment paper to line the dish, leaving some overhang so that I can easily raise the bars up and out of the dish once cooled.
• Toast the pecans. This gives the magic cookie bars an enhanced flavor, not to mention the nuts smell delicious once toasted!
• Use dulce de leche instead of condensed milk. This is perfect if you love the flavor of caramel. If you do make the switch, I recommend heating the dulce de leche slightly to make it easy to drizzle over the pan.
• Swaps for the butterscotch chips: Peanut butter chips or other types like dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or milk chocolate chips all work beautifully.
• Add more nuts. This recipe is quite forgiving, so you can basically throw in everything but the kitchen sink! I sometimes add more nuts for more texture and less sweetness. If I want even more variation, I use a combination of walnuts and pecans.
• Get creative with the crust. While a simple Graham cracker crust is a classic, feel free to use a different crumbly cookie like gingersnaps to make the crust.
• Add pretzel pieces. For my sweet-salty lovers, add pretzel pieces as one of the layers, or grind pretzels instead of graham crackers for the crust.
• For neat slices: If you try to cut these sweet treats while still warm, you will have a gooey sticky mess on your hands. The trick for neat slices is to allow the magic cookie bars to cool completely. To speed up the process, you can pop the whole baking dish into the refrigerator. Use a very sharp knife to slice them up.
• Cut them small. These loaded cookie bars are quite rich and sweet, so I like to cut them into small squares. A little goes a long way!

Frequently Asked Questions

If you’ve tried this magic cookie bars recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
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